A thrilling tale of two socially dysfunctional brothers working at the largest fish market in the world, and the things they must do to get paid, make friends and date ladies.

Contact me at: MadRupert@gmail.com

Or visit my DA page to see more art!
http://www.mynameismad.deviantart.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What does SAKANA mean?
A: Sakana means "fish" in Japanese. It's the main characters' last name, their uncle's last name, and the name of their fish stall. So basically, when you are implored to visit "Sakana's fish stall" you're visiting Fish's fish stall. It's a silly joke, I know. What's even sillier are Taro and Jiro's names, which mean "first/big son" and "second son" respectively. In other words, literally, their names are first fish and second fish. I NEVER SAID I WAS GOOD AT NAMING CHARACTERS.

2. Who the heck are you?
A: My name is Madeline Rupert and I'm currently a senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in the state of Georgia, in the USA. I'm majoring in sequential art (which is a fancy word for comic books), and I like to draw A LOT OF COMICS. I am also less than five feet tall, own three pugs, propagate my own cacti and succulent plants, and live near Philadelphia.

3. Where did you get the idea for Sakana?
A: I was selected by SCAD to go on a trip to Tokyo, Japan for two weeks last winter, where I took classes with other chosen students and got lost a bunch of times. It was basically the best two weeks of my life. The final project for my "Cartooning in Tokyo" class involved drawing 12 comic strips based on something I experienced on the trip. Because our visit to the real Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo was PRACTICALLY THE COOLEST THING EVER, I decided to make a story around that. Eventually I came up with some losers that work there and have girl problems and stuff. Etc.

4. Do you have the whole story planned out?
A: Yes and no. I know what's supposed to happen and in what order, A then B then C, etc. but the spaces inbetween each event basically happen on the fly. I never expected it to take this long to get to Jiro's date (which won't even be the pivitol event in the story, believe it or not), Taisei and Yuudai were pretty much created on the spot, and the comic probably won't end for another 300 strips. Oh boy.

5. What materials do you use to make the comic?
A: I'll list them for you:
a) 300 series 19"x24" smooth bristol paper (each comic is 18"x6", meaning I can fit four on a sheet)
b) A basic mechanical pencil and a big MONO eraser
c) THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL: Kuretake No. 33 Brush Pen - Soft, for the inks
sold here: http://www.jetpens.com/index.php/product/view?products_id=2666

I only use the No. 33 brush for inking, meaning I get every stroke on the page using the same brush. IT HAS AMAZING LINE QUALITY, but it runs out of ink after four or five strips, so I usually buy six or so at a time. If you purchase more than $25 worth of stuff from the website, you get free shipping! STOCK UP!

AND THAT'S IT FOR NOW. This page will be updated as more questions arise! Thanks for reading!